Hitting the Oregon Trail on the iPhone

One of the nagging regrets in my life is never finishing Oregon Trail. The old Apple II game was one of the few decent titles in the elementary school computer lab, and in the 30 minutes or so my classmates and I got to spend there, I never really had the chance to go from Independence, Mo., to Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

I was either slowed down by a broken axle or I had a hard time hunting after running out of food. What made me angrier than anything else was dying of dysentery though I didn’t know what that exactly meant when I was 7 years old. I knew it was bad mainly because family members passed away and I was one step closer to starting over again.

Because of these setbacks, I never saw the ending — it’s like reading a book halfway — but more than two decades later, I may finally be able to get to the promise land. Gameloft, the publisher known for its mobile phone games, is bringing this classic to the iPhone.

And from the looks of it, the update appears promising. Of course, with the power behind the system, Gameloft decided to update the graphics. Oregon Trail on the iPhone sports a cartoonish look. Along with the appearance, the developers also streamlined the gameplay.

This may be a deal breaker for those hardcore Oregon Trail fans, but unfortunately, you can no longer buy extra wagon parts and such. Instead, to speed up the process, players have to choose between three classes — the banker, the carpenter and the farmer — and three wagon setups that each offer their own benefits and drawbacks. For example, the Prairie Schooner has more food and fewer supplies. On the other hand, the Canestoga Wagon has more supplies but less food.

After choosing a class and wagon, players now have to pick the date to leave. They can either leave in the cold month of March, the wet of April or the sunny days of May. But be warned, Oregon Trail is rewards and punishes choices. Decisions made without any foresight will doom any traveler in the long run.

And of course, players get scored with bonuses and such. The game is still harder for the farmer than the banker though this time the farmer has a bonus of making food last longer. In the end, finishing the game with a more difficult class will also net you a higher score.

But on with the game, which will take you to 50 different landmarks on your journey. This is a definite upgrade from the old Apple II version, which contained only 16 to 18 notable places such as Chimney Rock.

Along the way, the game tracks how much money you have and the miles you travel. There’s plenty of opportunity to make money and experience random, weird, unexpected events. Gameloft included illnesses like the old favorite — dysentery. But they also added new random events like dead bears lying on the ground. As the wagon driver, you could poke it with the stick to see if it’s alive or ignore it.

Letting it be will probably save you some hassle, but if you’re low on food, you may have no other choice but to poke the bear and hope that it’s dead so you can harvest some meat.

Keeping with the original experience, players can also ford their way through rivers. But this time around, Gameloft added a new twist by turning some river crossings into a minigame. Scattered throughout the journey, players will encounter eight skill-based minigames — hunting, fishing, wagon repairing, river crossing, rafting, telegraphing, gold panning and berry picking — that use the touch-screen and at times iPhone’s accelerometer.

For instance, working on the telegraph and deciphering Morse code is akin to playing Simon. Berry picking, which boosts your food levels, is like a game of whack-a-mole.

Because Oregon Trail was originally an educational game, there are some places where you do some old-fashioned learning. As you make your way across the country, you’ll come across some famous historical figures like James Marshall, the man who found gold in California and started the gold rush.

These folks will give you optional missions that can take you through the branching paths of the game.

Checking it out last week gave me a huge jolt of nostalgia. I couldn’t help but be excited for a game that’s almost as old as I am. That sort of feeling makes even the dorkiest subjects, well, cool. Because of its popularity in schools back in the 1980s and early 1990s, I’m sure Oregon Trail has other fans eager to get back on the wagon.

I just want to finish the journey, and this time it seems feasible. A trip on the Oregon Trail lasts about 90 minutes, depending on how many minigames you want to play. What’s even better is that players can save their progress — finally! — in between landmarks. The landmarks themselves are spaced out about five minutes from each other, so it sounds like it’ll be good for those quick play opportunities like waiting in line.

The game is expected to be released on the iTunes store next week, and it will sell for $5.99.

APPLE IPHONE UNLOCK !!! NOW YOU CAN UNLOCK YOUR IPHONE WITH ONLY $19! WE CAN UNLOCK ANY IPHONE 3GS 3G 2G , ONLINE QUICK AND EASY IN 10 MINUTES, GO TO http://WWW.UNLOCK-IPHONE.ORG YOU WILL BE ABLE TO USE YOUR IPHONE ON ANY NETWORK !!!!!!!!!

My ipod device 1G is our primary iPod, Pda and far more, and also has happen to be day that I got it. It also operate the newest iPod system software, and also any application I want it to operate. I’m working with it to leave this comment at this moment. I would point out it can be a lot more in comparison with solely an “excellent hobbyist system” — it really is an great iPod

I just wanted to jot down a quick word in order to say thanks to you for those awesome ways you are giving out at this website. My time consuming internet look up has finally been honored with high-quality facts and strategies to share with my friends and family. I ‘d admit that many of us readers actually are very endowed to live in a good site with many brilliant people with insightful guidelines. I feel really happy to have seen the website and look forward to many more enjoyable times reading here. Thanks a lot once again for all the details.

I have been surfing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours 301 Moved Permanently. It is pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be much more useful than ever before.

This is the punish 301 Moved Permanently diary for anyone who wants to attempt out out near this matter. You mention so overmuch its almost exhausting to fence with you (not that I really would want…HaHa). You definitely put a new twirl on a subject thats been typewritten some for age. Overnice congest, simply majuscule!

Great website! I truly enjoy how it is simple on my eyes and the data are properly written. I’m wondering how I could be notified whenever a new post has been produced. Iâ€™ve subscribed to your RSS which ought to do the trick! Have a nice day!